No fewer than 17 persons have been reportedly shot dead by gunmen suspected to be herdsmen at Igangan, in the Ibarapa North Local Government Area of Oyo State.
Residents told our correspondent that the hoodlums invaded the town on motorcycles around 11pm on Saturday and started killing and destroying property, which continued until around 3am on Sunday.
At daybreak, residents reportedly saw corpses of children and adults littered some places in the town, while houses and vehicles, including a truck loaded with cassava flour, were razed by the attackers.
Some residents of Ayete, which is the headquarters of the Ibarapa North LGA, told our correspondent that Igangan residents sent messages to them and others in different parts of Ibarapa to help them get across to security agencies to come to their rescue.
The Convener, Igangan Development Advocates, Oladiran Oladokun, said the gunmen set houses ablaze in a bid to drive out the people, after which they opened fire on them.
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He said the government did not take the security seriously, adding that they had reported that the herdsmen were planning to attack them.
Despite the information, he said nothing was done to protect the people.
Oladokun said, “Between 12 and 17 persons were killed. Security agents were called, but their numbers were switched off. No security agent came to our rescue. Our hunters and vigilantes were the ones who risked their lives and confronted the attackers who carried sophisticated weapons.
“Despite the fact that the hunters were poorly equipped, they gunned down five of the Fulani attackers. One of the brave hunters was killed by the gunmen. The hunter was shot and reportedly beaten to death with clubs and other objects.”
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The Secretary of Farmers’ Union, Mr Taiwo Adeagbo, aka Akowe Agbe, had told our correspondent around 12.39am that the town was under attack.
But at 3.12am, Adeagbo said the shooting had reduced.
He later said around 5am that “the Fulani terrorists killed no fewer than five persons in Igangan. Security agents also killed five of the terrorists.
“The terrorists also set a petrol station ablaze; cars were also burnt and a truck loaded with cassava flour travelling to Ibadan was also razed,” he added.
It was also gathered that the palace of the Asigangan of Igangan, Oba Lasisis Adeoye, was razed by the gunmen, but the monarch escaped because he did not sleep in the palace.
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Governor Seyi Makinde, while reacting to the attack in a statement, urged the people of the area to be calm.
Makinde said, “I am currently being briefed on the incidents. I urge residents to remain calm as security operatives are now in control of the situation.”
Also, the Chairman of the South-West Governors Forum and Governor of Ondo State, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, condemned the attack, describing it as “horrendous, callous and highly provocative.”
“While we will encourage the security agencies to get to the root of this latest act of provocation, we have directed the commanders of the South West Security Network, Amotekun, to convoke a joint security meeting of all commanders in the South-West with a view to commencing joint operations in the region immediately.
“We must reiterate the fact that certain elements are bent on causing friction among the people of this country with the sole aim of achieving a pernicious end. They will stop at nothing until their set goal is realised. It is, therefore, incumbent on all lovers of peace and freedom to rise against this current regression into savagery,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
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